Wheel-cultivator.



Patented Mayl 8, |900.

No. 649,I97.

c. M. nunNELL. WHEEL GULTIV-ATOB. (Applicmtiam. led Feb. 27, 1899.)

2 Sheets--Shse I.

(No Model.)

No. 649,197. Patented May 8,1900.

C. M DURNELL WHEEL CULTIVATOR.

application medreb. 27, 1899.) (N0 Modal.) I 2 Sheets-Smet 2` 'wheeltype.

adjustable bar.

NITED STATES APAIIENT OFFICE.

CEOIL M. DURNELL, OF INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO PRESTON LI.ROBERTS, FRANK ROBERTS, AND WILLIAM O. ROBERTS, OF SAME PLACE.

WH EEL-ou LTlvATol.

sPEoIrIoA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 649,197, dated May' s,1906. Application filed February 27, 1899. Serial No. 707,053. (Nomodel.)

.To all wwin it may concern:

Beit known that I, OECIL M. DURNELL, of Independence, Jacksoncounty-,Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWheel-Cultivators, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to wheel-cultivatcrs, and more particularly to thetype which are propelled by the operator walking behind; and the objectsof my invention are to produce a cultivator of this type wherein thedraft or power is centrally applied in order to obviate any tendency ofthe wheel to twist or turn sidewise, and render the propulsion moredifficult, and wherein the handle may be vertically adjusted for theconvenience of the operator, or for the accommodation of persons ofvarying heights.

A further object of the invention is to produce 'a machine which can beadjusted to accommodate rows of different widths and at the same timemaintain the supportingwheels parallel with each other and with the lineof draft.

A still further object is to produce means 'whereby the operator may beenabled to bring to bear on the cultivator the direct pressure of hisbody in addition to that applied with his hands.

Other` objects ofthe invention will herein- 'after appear and be pointedout in appended claims, and in order that the invention may be fullyunderstood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 represents in side elevation a handcultivator embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3represents a perspective view of the single- Fig. 4 is a detail viewshowing the inner side of the v turning-plow and adjustable connectionwith its shank. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the upper end of theFig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line VI VI of Fig. 2. Fig. 7illustrates a modified form of the cultivator.

In the said drawings, 1 designates a pair of parallel bars' provided attheir rear ends with handles 2 and a suitable distance from their frontends with a series of laterally-extending holes 3. The front end of eachbar is forked-that is to say, is provided with forwardly-extendingapproximately-parallel arms 6, of metal, bolted to opposite sides of thebar at their rear ends, as shown at 7.

Secured in the front ends ofthe fork of each bar is a shaft 8, and journaled upon said shafts are supporting-wheels 9.

10 and 11 designate two similar frames or shanks for the cultivating-shovels hereinafter mentioned, and said shanks or frames consist eachof a metal bar bent at its middle, as at 12, to provide the hook-shapedarms 13, which straddle the wheelsand are journaled upon said shaft,said shanks or frames being arranged snugly between the arms 6 of theforks and said wheels in order that there shall be no lateral play ormovement upon the shafts of either said wheels or said Shanks, and thelatter normally extend at right angles to each other, the arms 13 ofeach being connected by the bolts 14, which thus add rigidity andstrength to the Shanks and serve another purpose, which will hereinafterappear.

15 designates in this instance whatis known as a diamond plow, which isfitted within the fork of shank 10, and it is secured thereto by meansof a bolt 16, extending centrally through the plow and between the armsof said Shanks adjacent to the bend 12, a nut 18 engaging the outer endof said bolt to clamp the plow and the washer 17 upon the bolt firmlyagainst opposite edges of the shank. By this arrangement it is obviousthat said plow when in operative position will not only cut the earth inthe line'of draft,but may also be adjusted longitudinally by moving thebolt 16 nearer to or farther from the free end of the shank, as will bereadily understood by reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

If desired, a different form of cultivating appliance, such as aturn-plow 19, may be mounted upon the free end of the shank 11, and inorder that the angle of this plow may be varied to increase or reducethe depth of cut it is provided at its inner side with'a plate 20,having a segmental slot 21`v at its rear end and adapted to fit betweenthe outer vends of the arms 13 of shank 11 and be pivotally connected tosaid arms concentrically of the slot 21 by means of the bolt 22, theclamping-nut 23 engaging said bolt to make the connection reliable. 22ndesignates a bolt extending IOO through said shank and the slot 21, and23 a nut engaging said bolt and adapted to clamp the arms 13 rmlyagainst opposite sides ot' the slotted portion of plate 20, and therebysecure the plow at any desired angle. From the foregoing it will beapparent that this plow, as well as the plow 15, operates in the line ofdraft and that the pressure applied by the operator upon the handles 2is also in the center of the line of draft, owing to the fact that thewheel is journaled centrally within the forks of said handles, and it isfurthermore obvious that this statement applies with equal force to thesinglewheel cultivator (shown in Fig. 3') and the double-wheelcultivator (shown in Figs. 1 and 2.)

A sliding sleeve mounted upon each bar l consists ot' a pair of sideplates 24, connected above and below the bar by the bolts 25, and saidsleeve is by preference secured at the desired point upon the bar bymeans of a pin 26 extending through the sleeve and one of the holes 3 ofthe bar.

In order to hold the plows down to their work with a pressure which willyield to such obstructions as a root or stump of a tree or a' largerock, I by preference employ the leafsprings 27, which are pivoted attheir opposite ends to the bolts 14 and 25.'

The description thus far is applicable to either the single-wheelcultivator or to the double-wheel cultivator, the latter being in formno more than two of the single-wheel cultivators arranged side by sideand connected together by parts, which I will now proceed to describe.

28 designates an adjusting-bar which extendsV centrally between theparallel bars l ot' the double-wheel cultivator and is provided at asuitable point with a series ot' holes 29 and is pivotally connected atits lower end to the lower ends of said side bars by means of the links30, the latter forming simply a toggle-joint between said bars l. 3ldesignates similar links which pivotally connect `the bar 28 with thebars l, said links 3l extending parallel with the links 30 at the sameside of the adjusting-bar. 32 designates similar links pivotallyconnected at `their outer ends to the bars 1 coincidentally with theconnection with the latter of links 31 and pivotally connected at theirinner Aends to trunnions or pins 82, projecting from the upperand lowersides of the sliding sleeve 'upon bar 28, said sliding sleeve having apin 34:, adapted for engagement with one or another of the holes 29 ofsaid bar for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

35 designates a breast-plate having its Aarms embracing opposite sidesof the upper end of bar 28 and secured thereto by means of bolts 36extending through the slot 37 of the bar, clamping-nuts 38 engaging thethreaded ends of said bolts in order to secure the breastplate at thedesired point of adjustment on the bar.`

By means of the toggle-joint connection beplows or shovels making a cutof uniform depth, this depth of cut being easy to maintain because thepropelling force goes direct to the wheel and not to the plow. For thesame reason the machine runs easy and the springs tend to hold the plowsdown to their work. If an obstruction should be encountered bythe plow,and thereby cause the operator to unavoidably increase the `pressure onthe handles, the bars either swing forward and upward withoutappreciably varying the position of the plow in the ground, because thesprings under such increased pressure stretch or the plow swings upwardout of the ground and compresses its respective spring until theobstruction is cleared, when the spring automatically forces the plowdownward and ready for the continued oper-l ation of the machine.

If the position ot' the handle is not such as to give the operator hisgreatest and most convenient leverage for propelling the machine, it maybe raised or lowered within certain limits by sliding the sleeve 24forward or rearward on the bar l and locking it at the desired point bythe engagement of its pin 26 with the registering hole 3 of the bar. It'the machine is to be operated by a boy, the handle can be lowered fromthe position shown in full to the position shown in dotted lines, Fig.l, this being accomplished in the manner before explained, and it willbe noted in this connection that the depression of the handle does notcompress the spring 27, connecting the handle to the shank of the plowin the ground, as said spring simply swings pivotally on the bolt 14,the distance between said bolt and bolt 25 remaining the same under thisadjustment, as will be seen by reference to Fig. l.

In traveling to and from the eld it is obvious that it is only necessaryto raise the handle sufficiently high to lift the cultivatingshovelsclear of the ground, and while I have illustrated the machine asprovided with a diamond and` a turning plow it is ob- IOO IIO

vious that other cultivating appliances may his breast, as will bereadily understood; and

in order to obtain the best results in this connection the breast-platemay be adjusted farther in or out, as necessary. If it is desired tocultivate rows of different widths, this can be accomplished bywithdrawing pins 34.- and ,N w

then pushing forward or pulling rearward, as

the case may be, on the bar 2S. The forward movement of said bar expandsthe toggles simultaneously and thereby widens the distance between theplows, while the rearward movement contracts the toggles, and therebynarrows the distance between the' plows. They may be secured reliably ateither point of adjustment by causing the engagement of pin 34. with theregistering hole 29.

In Fig. 7, in lieu of the shanks 10 and 1l, independently pivotedonshaft 8, I provide two shanks l0 lla, which are integrally formed orrigidly secured together and pivoted on the shaft, so that the movementof one shovel affects the position of the other. With this double-shankconstruction, which is precisely the saine as the single shankthat is tosay, is composed of arms 13a, aranged astride of the wheel 9^-I employretractile springs 27a to take the place of the oppositely-actingsprings 27. By this arrangement it is obvious that if the applianceembedded in the ground strikes an obstruction it is prevented fromswinging upward too easily by the spring 27 l above the wheel, while theother spring 27a will permit the handle of bar l to swing forward on theshaft some distance without withdrawing the plow from the ground. Thusit will be seen that the substitution of the double shank for theindependent single shanks makes necessary the substitution of thesprings 27L for the springs 27 5 but it is equally obvious that saidparts are the equivalents of each other, because they accomplish thesame work in substan-y Having thus described the invention, what I claimas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cultivator, comprising a wheeled frame, a shank pivoted to saidframe and provided with a cultivating appliance, and a yieldingconnection between said shank and the frame, the connection with saidframe being adjustable to permit a variation in the angle between theframe and the shank, substantially as described.

2. A cultivator, comprising a Wheeled frame embodying a bar mounted onthe shaft or axle of said wheel, a shank pivoted upon said shaft, andprovided with a cultivating appliance, an adjustable sleeve upon saidbar, a spring pivotally connecting said sleeve and said shank, and meansto secure said sleeve at the desired point on said bar, substantially asdescribed.

3. A cultivator, comprising a Wheeled frame embodying a bar pivoted atits front end upon the shaft or axle of said wheel, and provided with aseries of holes, a shank pivoted upon said shaft, and provided with acultivating appliance, a sleeve mounted upon said bar, a pin carried bysaid sleeve and adapted to engage any one of the holes in said bar, anda spring connecting the sleeve and the shank, substantially asdescribed.

4. A cultivator, comprising a wheeledv frame, shanks pivoted upon saidframe and provided with cultivating appliances at their outer ends,yielding connections between said shanks and said frame, a bar 28, links30, 3l and 32 pivotally connecting said bar with said frame, the links32 being longitudinally adjustable upon said bar, and means for securingsaid links and said bar in the desired relation, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of thewitnesses.

CECIL M. DURNELL.

Vitnesses:

PRESTON J. ROBERTS, BELLE BRYANT, JEssE P. CRUMP.

